Rahme: Syracuse Shows What It Can Do; OCC's Streak Goes On Despite Injuries

Derek Maltz is among a group of offensive talents who can play attack or midfield. (Inside Lacrosse Photo: Rich Barnes)

Syracuse coach John Desko and his staff witness every day in practice what they believe the 2014 Orange can be. Their fan base finally got a glimpse of it during Saturday’s exciting 11-10 victory over Notre Dame in the Carrier Dome.

The reason for the delayed unveiling is simple. Syracuse went 36-for-139 (.259) at the face-off X during a 2-for-3 five-game stretch, basically giving foes three offensive possessions to each one it gained. Senior face-off specialist Chris Daddio and wingers Peter Macartney and Henry Schoonmaker responded Saturday, going 15-for-24 (.625) vs. the Fighting Irish.

“You were able to see what we are trying to do because we had the ball,” Desko said. “We practice these things all week and are excited by what we see, and then we have no chance to do them because we don’t have the ball. Saturday, we did.”

And Orange fans got to see what the staff is trying to do. Basically, Desko is employing the same mix-and-match approach he has used over the past few seasons, assigning senior crease attackman Derek Maltz and junior Randy Staats interchangeably at midfield and attack. Desko is also fielding a second midfield line that features three true attackmen — senior Billy Ward, junior Nicky Galasso and Staats/Maltz.

“It’s really it’s a matter of trying to get the best six on the field,” he said. “We haven’t been able to get in a flow because Randy missed time (with an injury) and Schoonie missed time.”

Now that they are back, although Staats still appeared to be a step slower Saturday than he was earlier in the season, Desko can run a first pure midfield of Hakeem Lecky flanked by Schoonmaker and senior Scott Loy and complement them with a second line of attackmen who can invert piecemeal or as a unit and stay up top. The combination can cause matchup nightmares for opposing defenses if, and it remains a big if as the Orange prepares to face Binghamton on Wednesday in the Dome, it can get enough possessions to make it work.

Another wrinkle Desko has added recently in an effort to offset the team’s face-off situation is to ask players such as Lecky, Schoonmaker and Ward to stay on the field and play defense in an effort to get some transition going the other way should SU gain possession via a save or turnover.

“It’s better than having them stand on the sideline watching,” Desko said. “I don’t know if many people noticed, but Billy Ward played outstanding defense Saturday. He’s really worked hard and bought in, a kid who will do whatever it takes to help the team win. It’s why he’s a captain.”

It’s why Ward agreed to switch from his natural position at attack, which he shared last season with Dylan Donahue, to a spot on the second midfield line where Desko said the senior is “the glue that holds it all together.”

SU fans got to see the system unfold Saturday. Whether it has a chance to blossom into something special or return underground depends on whether the team can extend its one-game revival at the X.

When will it end?The longest victory streak in the history of college lacrosse at any level is the furthest thing from the mind of the coach who has engineered it.

“My sister-in-law brought it up the other day,” said Chuck Wilbur, whose Onondaga Community College men’s team last lost on March 27, 2010. “She asked me where it stood and I said ‘I don’t know, let me figure it out.’ It’s cool and all that, but let’s add it up at the end of the year and enjoy it then if possible. Right now we’re a 6-0 team and we want to be 7-0. Our goal isn’t a win streak, it’s the national championship.”

For the record the Lazers’ feat stood at 76 games at the beginning of the week, a run that began following that loss to Nassau and has spanned just over four years and four national titles. It shows no signs of ending, either, as one of the youngest teams Wilbur (194-15) has ever mentored has outscored its opponents 119-38 in six victories entering a Wednesday contest vs. Jefferson CC. Among the decisions was a 16-8 verdict over No. 2 CCBC Essex, the Baltimore powerhouse that has become OCC’s toughest rival on the national scene.

The accomplishment is remarkable considering the youth of the team, the injuries it suffered early and the lack of practice time it was afforded thanks to an unusually harsh winter.

“I credit it to the fact that the few returners have been great leaders,” Wilbur said. “They helped us get through early games when we were still trying to figure out who we are. We’re not just young but had a lot of injuries that kept us from developing and establishing chemistry. We’re just starting to play good lacrosse now. The freshmen are a lot more mature. We’re far from being a great team, but we have become a very good lacrosse team over the last month.”

That leadership has come from sophomores such as goalie Warren Hill, who has played in World Games competition for the Iroquois Nationals and recently announced his intention to attend Syracuse next season, and midfielder Tim Barber, younger brother of former SU middie Ryan Barber. Wilbur marveled at how Barber, playing through a painful hamstring injury, moved down to attack vs. Essex “and scored six goals on one leg.” And Hill, who Wilbur calls “a big-time goalie,” has been great in the net and quarterbacking a stingy defense that features three rookies at close.

“Our offense gets a lot of accolades because we play fast and score a lot of goals,” Wilbur said. “But our defense and goalie have been the difference between us and OCC teams of years past. They have created a lot of offense for us by putting the ball on the ground and creating transition. That helped us a lot when we were young and trying to figure things out.”

So did one final factor.

“This team plays very hard, maybe harder than or at least as hard as any team I’ve ever had,” Wilbur said. “That helped overcome lack of chemistry early. Now we’re a better lacrosse team. We have three weeks of the regular season left, and it’s time to fine-tune everything.”

Outscoring its foes, including the No. 2 team in the nation, 119-38 and in need of fine-tuning? The streak is bound to continue growing.